dragon1954

Has anyone ever had anyone look after their house and pets when they have gone on holidays. I came across a site advertising house sitters and I'm thinking it might be a better alternative to putting my dog in a kennel, but I'm a little concerned about having a complete stranger living in my house.

Dorothy

I've done a bit of house sitting for workmates and friends. Where abouts are you? If you're in Perth we can talk.

dragon1954

Thanks Dorothy.....afraid I live on the other side of the country - Qld!

Dorothy

No worries. We'll actually be looking for a house/pet sitter for 3 weeks in July. We have a lodger, but she's not comfortable staying at the house alone for that long (she's only 19) so we said we'd see if we can find a house sitter so she's not there by herself.

I've also googled a couple of companies that do house sits so I'll let you know if we have any joy.

dragon1954

Thanks Dorothy. I've just been chatting to a woman in the dog park who has managed to get an old neighbour to house sit for her, but like me she doesn't feel comfortable about a stranger in her house. That said, I suppose if I check references etc maybe it will be OK.

cappuccino

I'm looking at coming over to Oz from NZ for a few months. I'd be interested in house/pet sitting. PM me if you want to discuss.

northernbird

Check out your insurance before you have someone housesit. One of my daughters friends had someone do this a few weeks ago while they were in UK. There was a major fire and the insurance are causing a few issues asking a lot of questions.

dragon1954

Thanks.

There is something that doesn't sit right with me........don't know what - just a hunch! Am I leaving myself vulnerable on so many levels or am I just being super cautious?

spouse of scouse

Do you have any friends with responsible 'adult kids' still at home? The little buggers seem to hang around until 25 or more now, so that might be an option? Or you could ask work mates if they or anyone they know does house sitting?

I'd share your caution, if you don't know someone personally then all I can suggest is that you go through a well known and reputable agency. Your dog would probably be far happier at home, but I understand your concerns about strangers in your house.

Dorothy - might call on you in the future to see if you're freeeee (or relatively inexpensive)

Dorothy

I'm relatively cheap. Last house sit was for the parents of a workmate up in Gooseberry Hill. For 2 weeks I got paid full use of the pool (t'was mid summer) and a lovely bottle of wine from their fridge. They offered cash, but it's nice to just have a house to myself for a couple of weeks where I can watch what I want on TV and eat or not without having to worry about feeding anyone else.

Do let me know if youre interested.

Kim67

We have used a house sitter for house and pets before - she was okay for the first couple of times, but then she started using the place as a bit of a hotel for her whole family.

If you're really stuck my kids have a pet sitting business, you can find us on Facebook under "The Pet Lounge", we're in Brisbane. The pets stay in our house with us like they would at home, no cages or anything and we only take one family at a time.

spouse of scouse

Cheers Dorothy, I'll certainly do that. We can offer lots of wine and food, a big flatscreen tv with Foxtel, air con, golden retriever and comfy bed - but no pool unfortunately.

did you see how I snuck the dog in? ;-)

Dorothy

That's ok. The house in GH had a lovely old curly coated retriever and my friend's sister left her 2 whippets as well.

I'm actually pretty easy going despite what people may think

spouse of scouse

I've never doubted it! Our 9 year old goldie is very entertaining, chucks whizzies when you get his food bowl out

Water Lily

We are offering this service for free internationally (just need an internet connection so we can continue to do some work...) - we'll be in Aussie for a few months from June and have references and police clearance certificates for peace of mind. Also always happy to do a video conference via skype.... link in the signature